ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND BASEBALL by Jenna Bayley-Burke
Julia Clayton thought Mariners were fishermen. It only made sense. Much to her new husbands’ chagrin, she stated this fact loud, and often. Really, it was ridiculous how seriously James and his brothers devoted themselves to watching grown men play a simple game.
When the Mariners won, the house was filled with joyous laughter, but a loss could put a pall over the entire clan. Julia tried to lighten the mood at every defeat, trying to joke her way into smiles from at least her husband. However, when his brothers left James would assure Julia baseball was not “just a game.”
Julia found it odd something so trivial as professional sports could draw a line in the sand of her new marriage. Yet whenever she tried to joke off a disappointing game, her husband found something pressing to do in the yard, muttering that she’d never understand.
The ultimate irony was that they met at a Mariners game. The accounting firm auditing the publishing house where she worked invited the finance team to a game in their executive box. Julia went to unwind from a long week with her friends from work, but became instantly smitten with the intensity of the handsome auditor who flashed her smiles and asked for her number during the seventh inning stretch.
A year later they married, though the Mariners were playing that day. His brothers were his groomsmen, and both listened to the game through the ceremony, giving highlights and score updates throughout the reception.
Still wrapped up in the blissful feeling of the day, Julia had only been mildly annoyed when she awoke sometime during her wedding night to find James catching the highlight reel on ESPN.
“I’m sorry you missed the game.” Julia said, the lights of the television dancing over the darkened room. “A true fan would never schedule something as trivial as a wedding the same day as a double header.” She jabbed James in the ribs for good measure.
“Don't be silly.” James leaned down and kissed the top of her head, his eyes never leaving the screen. “The wedding is more important. I just want to see where the manager got thrown out of the game.”
Julia turned her back to him, snickering at his obsession. She’d never understand his passion for the Mariners. He rubbed her shoulder as she tried to fall back asleep.
“Did you see my folks got a season ticket for you too? Right next to mine. They must have jumped through hoops for that.”
Like she’d use it. Still, it was nice to be accepted into the family so deeply they wanted her to sit in the rain with them on wooden seats and scream like idiots.
The first few games after their honeymoon were easy enough to beg off. With moving and work she had plenty of excuses not to bore herself at a ballpark. It gave James time with his friends and family, as well as his beloved Mariners.
Their new apartment, and the big screen television she’d got James as a wedding gift, became the mecca for away games. Julia enjoyed playing hostess, picking up fun party food and learning funny stories about James, albeit on commercial breaks.
She didn’t even mind much when James neglected to realize he’d be spending their two-month anniversary at the game with his brothers. He loved the game and she loved him, and there was no getting around either point. When he called that evening she hoped he’d say he was on his way home to take her to dinner, but instead he regaled the events of his day and the client who received notice they were being audited. With a half-promise to be home before midnight, James asked if she’d tape the game for him.
“Won’t you be listening to it on the radio?” He always listened to games that started before he got off, or were being played on the East coast while he was at work.
“I’ll try, but I know I’ll miss most of it. We’re planning how to best attack this audit. Please?”
Julia agreed, but when she couldn’t figure out how to program his VCR, she decided to wait for the game to start and press record. With some reading from work, she curled up on the couch and paid enough attention to push pause when the commercials came on.
The first two innings were dismal, falling behind 6-1, Julia thought not recording the game and saving James from watching a stinker of a game might be a blessing. But when the first Mariner at bat in the third inning hit a home run, she began to watch the team more closely as they rallied.
By the ninth inning her reading was on the end table and she held her breath when the final Mariner lifted his bat. She’d never noticed the excitement of the game before, the skill of reading a pitcher, the speed of the ball as it hurdled towards the batter, the crack of the bat as it sent the ball careening into the sky. She gasped as the Angel in the outfield stepped under the ball, holding his glove open to catch the last hope of tying the game.
When the ball bobbled from his glove and onto the ground, Julia shrieked in delight, jumping from her seat. The error tied the game, sending it into overtime. The game had just ended when James shuffled through the door, his face tired and weary from work.
“Do you wants something to eat?” she offered, pressing rewind on the tape. “The game should be ready in a minute.”
“No thanks. We brought in dinner and I heard on the way over that we lost the game.”
“In overtime.” Julia said with excitement.
James shrugged. “I’ll miss the game on Thursday too.”
“I’ll tape it for you. And we’ll make the game on Sunday afternoon. You never work Sundays.” She sat back down on the couch, watching the tape rewind on the screen so she could at least show him the error that led to overtime, and that double play from the fifth inning.
“Okay, who are you and what have you done with my bride?” James sank next to her on the couch, a smile on his face.
“Baseball’s not so bad. And with you working so much on this project it will be a good way for us to spend time together.”
“Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more.” James tilted his head towards hers, but she stole his attention by pressing play, the announcer’s description of the near perfect double-play filling the apartment.
